Finding Justice
by Blaziken837
Summary: What if the announcer Mayumi Yamano had a daughter? How would the child react to promptly being orphaned and left to fend for herself? Let's find out, shall we? Rated for future language and paranoia.
1. Prologue

**AN: Hopefully I can actually stick with this story, and make it interesting. Right now it's only a prologue, but... enjoy!**

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><p>I never had any control over any of it. Not where I lived, not how I was viewed, and especially not how I was treated. I was never really hated, or loved for that matter. I was the wallflower, the one who no one really noticed unless they were searching.<p>

I was just living, to be honest. That's the only crime I ever committed. I was just living peacefully with my mom.

Mom was rather shy, and most of the people who knew her only knew her because of her job. It was modest work, and didn't really pay well, but she seemed to tolerate it well enough. It was odd, really, that as much as she disliked being the center of attention, she insisted on continuing her work as a reporter.

I didn't mind, though. I never really cared much what my mom did. Aside from my friends Hideki and Hajime, she was the only one who cared much about me. That was always enough for me.

I had no control. But life was ok. I was content, and surprisingly, so was mom. We were happy.

But… things didn't stay that way. Things got bad. Really bad. And it was all destined to get so much worse…

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><p><strong>AN: So, nothing really exciting yet, just the initial thoughts of our OC main character for this story. Here's a hint: it's Mayumi Yamano's daughter. Why? Because there's no focus whatsoever on Yamano's family, while everyone else at least has someone mentioned. <strong>

**Is she going to meet the investigation team? Eventually.  
>Is she going to meet her Shadow in the TV World? Maybe.<br>Is she going to _join_ the investigation team? Possibly.  
>Is she going to seek out her mother's murderer? Definitely.<strong>

**So, if you'd like to see how things turn out, stay tuned and please be patient. Flames will be laughed at, converted into Agi, and used on enemy Shadows.**

**See ya soon~**

**Blaziken837 **


	2. Chapter 1 Chika's Rough Morning

The curtain was abruptly swept aside, allowing the harsh, far-too-bright daylight to dance across my face. I groaned in response, pulling my blanket over my head in an attempt to block out the intense sunbeams.

"Now, now, Chika-chan, it's almost noon. You need to wake up," my mom said.

I cautiously lifted the blanket, lazily glancing at the woman denying me my slumber. "What day izzit?" I groused out.

"Sunday. April third. It doesn't matter. Get up," she insisted.

"Fine, but _please_ move the curtain back so I can adjust to the lighting."

Mom snorted. "Do it yourself, Chika."

I grumbled. "Why do I have to get up? School doesn't start until the twelfth. I'm _tired_. What's so important that it can't wait a few hours?" I sat up, using my hands to cover my eyes.

She chuckled— a recently-developed habit. "Well, you haven't eaten at all today—"

That was enough to get me out of my futon. The promise of food was far more tempting than the sleep my mother would not permit me to have. Besides, I'd slept for almost fourteen hours, and I hadn't eaten in almost sixteen.

I was up on my feet in about three seconds, and I headed right past my mother, toward the kitchen.

"We need to get you back into a regular sleep schedule before school starts. It's your third year of high school, Chika, aren't you excited?"

"Yeah, I suppose…," I replied. It was an outright lie. I couldn't care less about my last year of high school. It was more trouble than it was worth, really. College applications, entrance exams, yadda yadda yadda. It was a bit of a moot point, considering I didn't even know what I wanted to do with my life yet. Picking a university at which to study would be an unwelcome challenge. It would have been much simpler if I could just stay where I was.

"You don't sound very excited. Is something wrong?" she asked as I made my way over to the refrigerator.

I turned my head and faked a smile. "No, mom, nothing's wrong, I just woke up, that's all." Another lie. I turned back to the fridge and frowned as I pulled out a can of TaP soda. I much preferred Dr. Salt NEO.

"You got any plans for today?"

"I do now, there's hardly anything in the fridge," I deadpanned. I'd need to make a trip to the shopping district. No, on second thought, screw that. If I went to Junes instead, I'd only need to make one trip.

Then again, a steak bowl from Aiya sounded really good…

"Good, you need to get out of the house more," my mom proclaimed. I froze. That was familiar to the point where it was practically code.

"You aren't doing this for my well-being, you're kicking me out so you can spend time with your boyfriend, aren't you?" I accused. She chuckled- again.

"I was wondering how long it'd take you to catch on. How much money do you think you'll need for groceries?"

I contemplated this. I figured I probably shouldn't spend more than ten thousand yen on groceries, and I added a thousand for a meal at Aiya. Then I rounded up for some spending money. "I shouldn't need more than fifteen thousand yen."

My mom chuckled again, and pulled out thirty thousand yen. Strange, she didn't usually give me more than what I asked for. Hell, she usually gave me less. But I wasn't going to complain.

"Thanks, mom! I'm gonna go get ready to go and call Hajime-chan and Hideki-chan to see if they want to come shopping with me," I smiled, genuinely this time, and turned toward my room.

"Shopping? You do understand that they're _boys_, right Chika-chan?" Mom called after me mirthfully. I laughed, and ignored her as I cheerfully got ready.

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>First, I'd like to say I just picked random numbers for the cash amount, so if it doesn't make sense, that's why. I don't know the conversions from dollars to yen, and I'm admittedly lazy. I might go back and change it later.

**EDIT:** I changed the amounts so they should make a little more sense. Ten thousand yen is about $134 in U.S. currency. Fifteen thousand yen is about $196.51, and thirty thousand would be twice as much, so about $393.01. Damn, I wish my mom gave me that kind of spending money...

Also, yeah, I know it's kinda short, and boring. I haven't really gotten into it yet. When I write, I tend to think ahead of myself, and I end up writing parts that are going to take a while to get to, and then getting there is awkward. However, I'm almost to the good stuff, so please be patient, and I'll try to have the next chapter up within a week or so. Thank you!

-Blaziken837


	3. Chapter 2 The Shit Hits The Fan

It wasn't until Tuesday, April 5th that shit really went down. I came home that night to find my mom sobbing. While she wasn't exactly the most happy-go-lucky person in general, I hadn't seen her bawling her eyes out in several years.

"**M-mom, are you ok?"**

**Mom looked at me pitifully, and it hurt to see the dead look in her eyes as fresh tears rolled down her flushed face. She looked at me for a moment before shaking her head, trying hard to control herself, and failing as she trembled, her body wracking with shudders with each desperate sob.**

When I was a small child, almost six years old, my father died from a stab wound after being mugged. For the longest time, my mother never smiled. She didn't really_ live_ for years. She submerged herself in her work and to be honest, she didn't exactly do a great job of raising me after that. Don't get me wrong, she still loved me to death. But she wasn't very attentive, and when she spent time with me, she often became submerged in her grief. It wasn't until I was eleven that she stopped spending all of her time moping, and put more focus on me. She still grieved, but she didn't do it all the time anymore. But she still never smiled or laughed, no matter how hard I tried to make her happy.

"**Mom, what happened?" I queried softly.**

**She responded by gesturing toward the TV. I nodded and got up to turn it on. She was a reporter, so maybe the news would shed some light on this.**

"**Oh my god…"**

Very recently she started seeing a man named Taro Namatame. He was married, and he was a politician. But he made her _happy_. He was the reason my mom started to smile again, and he helped her through her pain. It was because of him that my mother was able to move on. He did what I proved unable to do. He succeeded where I failed.

"_**Misuzu Hiiragi, enka ballad sensation, has informed this station that her husband Taro Namatame, whom she married just last year, is highly suspected of having an affair with a local news reporter, Mayumi Yamano. Allegations of this affair have yet to be confirmed, but-"**_

**I turned off the TV quickly. **

"**Holy shit…"**

It was for that reason that I didn't care about his marital status. He clearly cared about mom, and she was happy for the first time in eleven years.

But things like that catch up to people. On April 5th, Namatame's wife discovered his affair with Mom, and reported it to the press. And just like that, everyone in Inaba considered my mother to be scum of the Earth. Her job was ruined, her relationship was severed, and her heart was broken once more. This time, I was old enough to understand what was going on.

"**Mom, can I get you anything?" I asked gently.**

"**Some more tissues…" she sniffed. I fetched what she asked for and hugged her tightly.**

That night was difficult for both of us. I stayed up with my mother, comforting her through the evening until she cried herself to sleep. Even then I remained awake and vigilant. Eleven years earlier, I couldn't comfort my mother. This time I wouldn't let anyone hurt her anymore, even if it killed me.

"**It's ok, mom. I'm watching over you…"**

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>So, here's the next chapter. I'm still getting into the story, and updates may be slow because my Pre-Calculus teacher just might be trying to kill me with the way he's scheduling tests, but this is getting really fun to write.

Someone asked me why I chose to create a new character and focus on Mayumi Yamano's death when I could have simply focused on Naoki and Saki.  
>The main reason is that Yamano hardly has any focus at all. Naoki-centric fics are few and far between, but Mayumi is almost nonexistant. I wanted to fill in some gaps, because the game doesn't really tell you anything about Yamano besides her status as a reporter, her affair, and anything hinted at by the room of faceless posters.<p>

I gave her a backstory and a daughter because you don't get any information about how she lived or what kind of family she had.

Now, you might be wondering why, if this is a Mayumi-centric story, I made it from her daughter's perspective instead of hers. Well, it's not just about Mayumi. It's about the circumstances of Mayumi's death and the effects her passing had on the people who knew her. After her passing, the focus of this story will gradually shift from Mayumi to Chika.

How will she react to being promptly orphaned? How will her mother's affair affect her way of living? What will happen next?

These are questions I hope to find out as I write this. I'll try to have the next chapter out soon, and it'll be much longer, I can assure you.

Flamers will be thrown into televisions.

See you next time~  
>-Blaziken837<p> 


	4. Chapter 3 Anguish And Spite

The next day was eventful, to say the least. Moments after she woke up, my mom began to pack clothing into a small suitcase that I hadn't even known we'd owned, along with a toothbrush, a comb, and various other amenities. I wordlessly followed her movements with my gaze. She would explain when it occurred to her to do so.

Evidently, that didn't take long.

"I can't stay here, honey. The TV station knows where I live, and there's no doubt in my mind that they'd let that information 'slip' if it meant some heightened ratings," she said.

I blinked. "I don't get it. How would giving your address away help their ratings?" I asked.

"The paparazzi," she started, as if that explained everything. "The station will likely give my information to _anyone with a camera_ so long as they'll release any 'interviews' to _them._"

Her tone was bitter and jaded and utterly _betrayed_. It wasn't a tone I was used to hearing from her, but I could understand why she felt that way. After all, the station that had been announcing the affair to the public had been the same one she'd so faithfully served.

I hesitated. "Where will we go?"

At this, Mom's movements stopped completely. I wondered briefly if she hadn't thought that far ahead.

"I… _We_ are not going anywhere. You can't come with me, Chika. I don't want to draw attention to you. I'm sorry, honey, but you'll probably get picked on as it is," she muttered. It was forced and clearly difficult for her to say, but I could tell she had more to tell me, so I remained silent despite the protests that raged in my mind.

She slapped her palm to her forehead and sighed. "I'm so _stupid_, Chika! I didn't even _consider_ that this might affect you until right now! I mean—"

I cut her off right then. It didn't matter that some miniscule part of me agreed, I was _not_ going to let my mother rag on herself like that.

"Mom, thinking of your own needs for once does _not_ make you stupid! You can't always put me first, you know! That isn't fair to you!"

We were both surprised by my words. Considering I'd gotten no sleep at all last night, and that I was used to sleeping like a cat, I normally would have been grumpy and whiny and listless and _dreadfully_ sarcastic, not to mention unsupportive. I had to wonder where my sudden burst of self-righteous justification came from. Mom was probably wondering the same thing. Then again, she'd only been awake for about fifteen minutes, so maybe she wasn't quite that coherent yet.

There were a few moments of unnatural and awkward silence and staring before my mother managed to find her voice.

"...Thanks, honey…"

"It's no big deal," I lied. "So, where are you going to go? Where _can_ you go to get away from the paparazzi?"

She thought for a moment before answering. "Well, I suppose I'll have to stay at the Amagi Inn. They're pretty picky about who films there, and they're all about keeping their customers comfortable, so I imagine that news reporters would have a hard time getting to me. I'll probably be safe there."

It was a good plan. But…

"How are you going to get there without being mobbed first?"

To this, mom went to her closet and pulled out a hooded brown cloak and a black pair of flats she rarely wore. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she intended to conceal her identity.

"Is that going to be enough, Mom? A hood and a couple extra inches to your height hardly seems like it'd do much at all," I sighed.

"It's going to have to do."

There was no point in arguing with her. My mother was always stubborn. As was I. But I got that from _her_ side of the family. Still, I needed a few more answers.

"Mom, how long are you going to be gone? What do you want me to do, if I'm not going with you?" I admit I _may_ have been _slightly_ panicked. It's not every day my mother tells me I'm on my own for a while.

My mom was silent as she turned her head to gaze at me somberly.

I swallowed. "Mom?"

She blinked slowly. "Honey… I don't know how long. However long it takes for everything to blow over, I guess. Just… do what you normally do. Don't let this affect your lifestyle any more than it has to, alright?"

I sighed. I'm not ashamed to admit that by this point I was in tears. My mom was headed for the door, hood pulled down and shoulders hunched to make her look as mysterious and unfriendly as possible. And I was to be alone.

"Will I still be able to talk to you?" I murmured.

She halted, turning to face me. "I… I'll call your cell phone when I get to the inn, alright?"

I nodded in affirmation and turned away so I wouldn't have to watch her leave. As I heard the soft click of the door as Mom closed it behind her, I consoled myself with the thought that she'd be back before I knew it. It didn't work very well.

I wandered to my room and plopped myself onto my futon. Staying up through the night was taking its toll on me, but it was the effort of muffling my sobs and the emotional exhaustion that put me to sleep.

**AN:_ I know I promised longer chapters. I'm working on it, so please be patient. The next part is coming soon._**

**_See you next time,  
><em>_~Blaziken837_**


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